


Pins and Needles

by m_s_b



Series: Pins and Needles (Junkie!AU) [3]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, Professor Jim, Tattoo artist Sebastian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-22
Updated: 2015-01-22
Packaged: 2018-03-08 16:14:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3215429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/m_s_b/pseuds/m_s_b
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A drug addict working with needles? Not as bad as it sounds, Seb would often explain to his therapist, showing off another self-made ink.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pins and Needles

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for comments and kudos - they mean a lot to me <3
> 
> So, brought to you by the popular demand, here's another story about two former addicts trying to make their lives work.
> 
> Enjoy!

‘So I told her to fuck off and went back to bed. It’s not that she would understand that,’ Lindsay smiled slightly and winced when the needle pierced her skin. Sebastian liked Lindsey - she was a nice, funny girl who always had some interesting story to tell. It was the fourth tattoo he had been doing for her - a doe on her upper-thigh - and, by that time, he had learnt quite a lot about her, like her film studies or that flatmate she constantly argued with. Every time she came to the tattoo parlour, Seb knew the next few hours would be filled with pleasant chatter. It didn’t distract him as much as he feared it would and it was actually nice to talk to someone who didn’t know him well. Or maybe even flirt a little. In fact, it was his favourite aspect of the job, of course apart from tattooing people. And to think that he hesitated for so long before accepting the job.

When Owen offered to give him a place in his tattoo parlour, Seb wasn’t sure that he was good enough to work as a professionalist. Not to mention his therapist's objections. Steven claimed that the whole tattoo parlour with all those needles and specific clientele would be one gigantic trigger for Sebastian’s addiction. For a brief moment Seb agreed with him, until Owen reassured him that he would never tattoo a client who was drunk or high - it was simply against the rules of his parlour.

‘I wonder what he is going to get, though,’ Lindsay commented, interrupting her own story. ‘He doesn’t look like a tattoo guy to me,’ she pointed her chin at a man sneaking slowly into the tattoo parlour. Sebastian looked up and smiled.

The man indeed looked out of place. His hair was combed perfectly, no loose strand out of place. Underneath a light grey waistcoat he was wearing a pristine red shirt; there was even a steel-coloured bowtie tied neatly under the collar. Not to mention that his body language screamed of tension and discomfort.

‘Maybe he wants a tattoo of some chemical formula or, I don’t know, a constellation?’ Lindsay continued her musings when Sebastian interrupted her:

‘Can we have a short break, Lindsay?’

‘Sure,’ the girl nodded. Smiling, Seb put down his tattoo gun, pulled off his gloves and stood up, quickly approaching the man.

James’ face beamed when he noticed the blond.

‘Hi, babe,’ trying his best not to touch the other man, Sebastian leant forward and pressed a quick kiss to Jim’s lips. ‘Didn’t expect to see you here,’ he smiled happily.

‘You forgot your lunch,’ Jim took out a white paper bag from his messenger bag and handed it to Seb. ‘It was on a countertop in the kitchen. How could you miss it?’

‘Thanks, love,’ Seb’s smile broadened. ‘What would I do without you?’ He peeked into the bag. ‘What do we have here?’

‘I made you some Caesar salad with those garlic croutons you like so much,’ Jim explained quickly. ‘It’s in that small Tupperware. There are some avocado egg salad sandwiches, too. You know, the ones with bacon, tomatoes and spinach. And,’ the man frowned, ‘I’m sure I also made you coffee...’ He glanced into his bag and pulled out a small thermos. ‘Here it is,’ he pushed the thermos into Seb’s arms. ‘Black, with a dash of cinnamon, just how you like.’

‘Yummy,’ the blond grinned. ‘You’re spoiling me, Jimmy. I just hope you’ll like what I prepared for you.’

‘Let me guess,’ James folded his arms on his chest, ‘it’s bento again, isn’t it?’

‘Oh, come on,’ Sebastian rolled his eyes, ‘but at least all food items are separated, right?’

As their relationship developed, Seb managed to convince Jim to prepare lunches for each other. James always had difficulties with eating food he didn’t prepare himself and this little lunch exchange was a way of helping him deal with this. Well, he still would refuse to eat food which wasn’t separate - God forbid meat touching potatoes - but they would work on that, too. For now - baby steps. Although it forced him to devote more time to preparing food, Sebastian didn’t complain; Jim was a wonderful cook and lunches he prepared for Seb were mouth-watering to say the least.

‘Thanks once more, love,’ holding the bag and the thermos close to his chest, Sebastian leant forward and pressed the kiss to Jim’s forehead. ‘Do you want me to give you lift to work? You’d have to wait for a bit, though - I have to finish lines of Lindsay’s tattoo.’

‘Thank you, Sebby, but I wouldn’t want to distract you from your job,’ James smiled softly. ‘And, to be honest, I could really use a walk.’

‘I guess I’ll see you at home, then,’ the blond sighed dramatically. It made Jim giggle.

‘I’ll miss you very much till then, you know,’ he blushed and stood on his tiptoes to kiss Sebastian shyly. ‘See you in the evening,’ he smiled and made his way to the door, turning one more time to wave before leaving. Sebastian stared after him for a moment and finally moved to the back room to leave his lunch.

‘Okay, let’s finish this,’ he returned to Lindsay and put his gloves back. ‘Just a few more lines and we’ll be done for now.’

‘Sure,’ the girl nodded, observing Seb as he returned to work on her tattoo. ‘So, that’s your boyfriend?’

‘Yes,’ he admitted with a smile and glanced at Lindsay, ‘love of my life.’

He really loved his work - it was a perfect way to occupy his hands and brain - but, in the end, it all wouldn't mean a thing if not for Jim.

 

 


End file.
